Automobile-starter.



V. DE MARAISK- AUTOMOBILE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1913. 13088 542 Patented Feb. 24, 191 A 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

v. DB MARAIS. AUTOMOBILE STARTER. ABPLIOATION FILED JAN. 10, 1913.

1,088,548., Patented Feb.24.,1914

2 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

ion;

VICTOR DE IYIARAIS, 0F CHICO, CALIFORNIA.

auroivioninns'ri intrnn.

nosasas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application filed January 10, 1913. Serial No. 741,2. e.

.T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Vro'ron Dn Mucus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chico, in the county of Butte and'State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automobile starters, as they are known, or in other words, mechanism under control of the operator or driver in his seat on the machine whereby he may crank or start the motor, without leaving his seat.

One of the chief aims of the present in- Vention is to provide simple and reliable mechanism which may be readily applied. to most machines now on the market, by means of which the driver will be enabled to start the motor by means of his foot, while leaving both hands free to manipulate the other controls of the machine.

A further object of the invention. is to so construct and dispose the mechanical elements of the starting mechanism with relation to each other that danger of destruction of the starting mechanism, in event of the engine back-hung, is overcome. Thls,

also renders the device much safer to the op 'erator, whose foot is not liable to become inj red.

ith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended. y

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the entire device, including the manually operated element, and showing also a portion of the floor and dash of the automobile. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through the casing with the starting shaft partly in elevation and partly in section. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the same. Fig. a is a vertical cross section through the casing and the parts contained therein, showing the relation of the runner to the starting shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail sec tion on the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a frontlend view of the casing, with the cap removed, showing the yoke and parts connected therewith. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of theclutch, with the cover plate removed. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the end portion of the shaft of an ordinary internal combustion engine or motor, such as is commonly used in automobiles for the propulsion thereof, said shaft being provided at its extremity with a clutch face 2.

Arranged in axial alinement with the motor shaft 1 is a starting shaft 3 which is spirally threaded, as shown at 4-, by providing the shaft with a groove extendlng spirally around the same, adapting said shaft to be turned by a runner, hereinafter particularly described.

The shaft 3 is mounted to bothrotate and move longitudinally, the longitudinal movement being necessary in order to enable said shaft 3 to be moved into clutched engagement with the motor shaft 1. With this idea in view, the shaft 3 is provided on that end which lies adjacent to the extremity of the motor shaft 1 with a clutch, comprising a body 5 provided with an opening 6 designed to receive the reduced end portion 7 of the starting shaft. The clutch also comprises a clutch face 8 adapted to engage the clutch face 2 on the adjacent end of the mo tor shaft 1, and. the body of the clutch is pro vided with a number of recesses or cavities 9 therein,'in which are arranged pawls 1O pivotally mounted, at 11, and adapted at their inner ends to engage ratchet teeth 12 on the reduced portion. 7 of the starting shaft, as shown in Fig. 7. Que or more of the pawls 10 moves into engagement with the teeth 12 by gravity, but will readily fly out of engagement with said teeth by centrifugal force in case the engine back fires, while the two clutch faces of the motor shaft and starting shaft are interlocked. The forward side of the clutch is normally closed by means of a removable cover plate 14 held in place by screws 15, or their equivalent.

The clutch as a whole is held in place upon the reduced portion 7 of the starting shaft by means of a screw 16 threaded into a central internally threaded bore in the end of the shaft, said screw being provided the shaft. It will thus be seen that the clutch is locked to the starting shaft, when the lat ter is turned inone direction, and automatically unlocks from said shaft, so as to prevent turning of said shaft in the other with a head 17 which retains the clutch on direction when there is a back-fire or kick in the motor. This prevents injuring the start ing mechanism, and also makes the device a safe one in use. At its opposite end, the shaft is provided with a central longitudinal bore 18 forming a bearing for a combined axle guide and journal 19, upon which the starting shaft is slidable'in the direction of its length, said journal being provided with a stop shoulder 20 adjacent to its outer end, Where it is. also provided'with an eye or opening 21, through which passes a sliding yoke or cross bar 23 which passes also through eyes or openings 24 in oppositely located parallel pull rods 25. These pull 'rods extend backward in arallel relation to the starting shaft 3, and are pivotally connected, at 26, to a pair of oppositely'arranged trip levers 27 each of which is fulcrumed intermediate its ends at the points 28, the free extremities of said levers lying in the path of the runner, hereinafter described. Each of saidlevers 27 is connected to its respective pull rod by means of a contractile spring 29 which serves to reset the lever 27, after it has been tripped, in order that it may again be acted upon by the runner. The shaft 3 is journaled centrally in a cylindrical two-part casing 30 divided diametrically, as shown, and provided with flanges 31 adapting the two sections of the casing to be bolted together, as at 32. EX- tending lengthwise of the casing 30 is a slot 33, in which slides a runner 34 provided at its inner end with fork arms 35 which embrace the starting shaft 3 and lie at opposite sides thereof, said fork arms being provided with inwardly extending tongues 36, prefer- .ably spheroidal in shape, so as to work smoothly in the spiral groove 4 of the-starting shaft 3, whereby in movement of the' runner lengthwise of the shaft, rotative movement is imparted to the shaft. At the extremities of the fork arms are b'all cups 37 containing any desired number of ant-ifriction balls 38 which travel in the grooves of parallel rectilinear ball races 39 shown, for convenience, as supported by webs 40 within the casing 30. This enables the runner to travel backand forth with a minimum amount of friction, and renders the device-as a whole easy in operation. The arms 35 of the runner are also provided with trip lugs 41 which come into contact with the free ends of the trip levers 27, thereby rocking said levers and causing the pull rods 25, through the medium of the yoke 23 and shoulder 20 of the journal 19, to shift the starting shaft 3 longitudinally into clutched engagement with the motor shaft. The starting shaft 3 is automatically returned or thrust in the opposite direction by means of a throw-off spring 42 of the expansion type, which encircles the end .30 and a shoulder formed by a cap plate 44 which is larger in diameter than the shaft 3, and detachably connected to the end of the shaft by means of screws 45, or their equivalent. with a central opening 46 to receive the journal. 19. j v

The outwardly projecting end of the runner 34 is fixedly secured within the fork 47 of a clevis 48, and the latter is fastened, at 49, to the forward end of an operating rod 50 which extends rearwardly through an opening in the foot board 51 of an automobile body, the rear end of said lever being preferably formed on a drop curve, as shown at 52, and the extreme rear end of said lever being provided with a pedal 53. The pedal end of the operating rod is conveniently supported in proper position by means of a suspending link 54 having its opposite ends forked or slotted, and connected pivotally, at 55, to the floor or other of the automobile body, and connected pivotally, at 56, to the operating rod 50.

The outer end of the casing 30 is closed by means of a-hollowcd orchambered cap 5'? which is bolted or otherwise secured to the end wall 43, as shown at 5 8, and inclosesthe projecting ends of the starting shaft 3, the rods 25, the journal 19, and the sliding yoke or cross bar 23. The opposite end of the casing is closed by a detachable head 59 having a central opening 60, through which the adjacent end of the starting shaft 3 is adapted to slide in moving toward and away from the extremity of the motor shaft.

The operation of the mechanism hereinabove described is as follows: To start the motor, the driver places his footagainst the pedal 53 and thrusts the operating rod 50 forward. This causes the runner 34 to move lengthwise of the staj ting shaft 3 and by reason of the interengagement of the.

tongues 36 and spiral groove 4, a rotary mot-ion is imparted to the starting shaft. Simultaneously therewith, the trip lugs 41 of the runner come into contact with" the free ends of the trip levers 27, causing them to pull rearwardly on the rods 25, and through the medium of the sliding yoke 23 and journal 19 with its head or shoulder 20, the starting shaft 3 is shifted toward the motor shaft, until the clutch faces on the adjacent extremities of said shafts interlock. This causes the rotative movement" of 'the starting shaft 3 to be imparted to the motor shaft, thereby turning over the motor, until the cylinders have been charged with gas, and the latter ignited, whereupon the engine will continue to rotate underits own impulses. Upon relieving foot pressureon the pedal 53, the starting shaft 3 is shift ed away from the motor shaft by me n of convenient part ios the throw-off spring 42, thereby disengaging the clutch faces of the two shafts and leaving them independently free of each other.

The-springs 29 allow the trip lugs 41 to snap by them on the return movement of the runner, so that in the next forward movement of the runner, the lugs 41 may again operate on said trip levers for the same purpose as before. In case of an unexpected back kick on the part of the motor, during the operation of the starting mechanism, the pawls 10 of the ratchet mechanismof the clutch on the starting shaft will .fly outwardly by centrifugal action and matter to the mechanism.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automobile starter, the combination with the motor shaft, of a spirally threaded starting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaft and mounted for endwise sliding movement and rotation, a runner movable lengthwise of the starting shaft and engaging the threads thereof, a manually operated device for advancing said runner along the starting shaft, andmeans in the path of said runner and actuated by said runner for simultaneously shifting the starting shaft into clutched engagement with the motor shaft.

In an automobile starter, the combination with ,the motor shaft, of a spirally threadedstarting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaft and mounted for endwise sliding movement and rotation, a runner movable lengthwise of the starting shaft and engaging the threads thereof, a manually operated device for advancing said runner along the starting shaft, means in the path of said runner and actuated by said runner for simultaneously shifting the starting shaft into clutched engagement with the. motor shaft, and means for automatically shifting the starting shaft away from the motor shaft when the manually operated device is released. I

3. In an automobile starter, the combination with the motor shaft, of a spirally threaded starting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaftandmounted for endwise sliding movement .and rotation, a'runner movable lengthwise.of the starting shaft and engaging the threads thereof, a manually operated device 'for advancing said runner along the starting shaft, means in, the path of said runner and actuated by said runner for simultaneously shifting the starting shaft toward the motor shaft, a clutch on the extremity of one of said.shafts having a pawl and ratchet engagement with said shaft, and a clutch face ,on the adjacent extremity of the other shaft.

4. In an automobile starter, the combination with the motor shaft, of a spirally threaded starting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaft and mounted for endwise sliding movement and rotation, a runner movable lengthwise of the starting shaft and engaging the threads thereof, a manually operated device for advancing said runner along the starting shaft, and a-trip' lever arranged in the path of said runner and connected with the starting shaft to shift said shaft toward the motor shaft. j 5. In an automobile starter, the combination with the motor shaft, of a spirally threaded starting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaft mounted for endwise sliding movement and rotation, a runner movable lengthwise of the starting shaft and engaging the threads thereof, a man ually operated device for advancing said runner along the starting shaft, a trip lever arranged in the path of said runner, and a pull rod extending from said t-mp lever to and connected with the starting shaft, whereby the tri lever is adapted to shift the starting sha t toward the motor shaft.

6. In an automobile starter, the combination with the motor shaft, of a spirally threaded starting shaft in axial alinement with the motor shaft and mounted for endwis'e sliding movement and rotation, a runner movable len thwise of the starting shaft and engaging t ually operated device for advancing ,said runner along the starting shaft, a trlp lever arranged in the path of said runner, a combined uide and journal for the forward end of said starting shaft, a pull rod leading from the trip lever to the same end of sa d shaft, and a sliding yoke connectmgsmd pull rod and the combined guide and ournal.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR DE MARAIS.

iVitnesses:

WILLARD B. JoIINs'oN, FREDRICK W. MILLER.

e threads thereof, a man- 

